Gloxinia: Home Care

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Florists often grow such a lovely and beautiful flower as gloxinia in their homes and apartments. This plant propagates in one of two ways - by vegetation or by sowing seeds. True, both options require a lot of effort and patience from the grower

But the result is worth it, and it won't keep you waiting. As a result, the florist will become the owner of beautiful hybrids, and will also observe the beauty of the flowering of rare varieties of this flower for a long time. However, not every person can withstand so much time and difficulties that after sowing the seeds, after a short period of time, enjoy the beauty of this plant. Often, mistakes and oversights during the care of the grown crop interfere with success in this matter. To avoid such troubles, it is important to start with taking care of high-quality planting material.

Getting Gloxinia Seeds

When purchasing the seeds of this flower in specialized stores, they do not need to be specially prepared for sowing, since they are immediately sold ready for planting in the soil. However, in another case, when a florist is going to independently achieve hybrids of different varieties of gloxinia, it is necessary to go a long and laborious path, which includes various procedures, such as pollination and collection of ready-made flower seeds. Already after the pollen from the flower is transported to the pistil of another plant, the gloxinia corolla will soon fade, but a small, future seed capsule can be observed on the flowering element. The timing of ripening and development of planting material directly depends on the conditions in the room and the type of gloxinia. Usually the term is from one and a half to two and a half months.

Gloxinia seeds themselves are very miniature in size. For this reason, before planting a flower, it is necessary to collect material for sowing. Only when the first signs of opening of the seed pod can be observed can it be cut and very carefully moved into a dry container. Such a situation will help to easily and quickly collect seeds that have a brown tint and an oval shape with slightly pointed edges.

Planting gloxinia seeds

Gloxinia is planted only when the substrate has a loose and sufficiently moist surface. In such a situation, there is no need to prepare a specialized soil mixture, since here it is enough to add vermiculite and crushed charcoal to the ground with a base in the form of peat. When using small peat tablets, the flowers will feel cozy and comfortable.

If gloxinia is grown in a house or apartment, then it is necessary to sterilize the land where the flower will be planted using a microwave or freezer. In the second case, it will be possible to get rid of germs and harmful bacteria only after 24-48 hours.

Seedlings of gloxinia growers receive in small containers. Over the entire period of active growth, it will be possible to observe the picking of seedlings several times, which is why the soil for planting gloxinia has a thickness of no more than three centimeters. In the event that the seeds are evenly spaced on the surface, the soil will need to be sprayed from a spray bottle for additional moisture. However, care must be taken that the water does not wash out the tiny seedlings. After that, it is required to cover the container with a thick film, which will help prevent unwanted rapid evaporation of moisture. Then the container with gloxinia must be moved to a place where the plant will be light and warm, so that it will sooner germinate.

During the period of winter and autumn, it is necessary to simplify the cultivation of a flower, since it is during these seasons that a lack of lighting can be observed. Therefore, you should prepare in advance additional lighting with lamps or lamps. At any time of the year, it is necessary that the light falls on the plant for fourteen hours. The optimum temperature for the normal development of the plant is about twenty to twenty-four degrees. In about a week, and sometimes it takes ten days, you can see miniature seedlings on the surface of the earth, and only then you need to switch to care conditions in the form of several picks and timely watering.